Operation: EQUAL
by zumby101
Summary: Enter quick-witted unruly aggregation louds Lincoln is now the new leader of sub section V-gamma, and with his team of sisters he fights adults, unfairness, and even his own older sister. Finding out secrets of KND and the changes that come with growing up.
1. Operation 1

The final bell rang signaling the tsunami of students coming out of royal woods middle school. Groups getting together talking about cartoons or who's house who was going to play video games. Then there were interlopers and the two man groups hurrying away from the crowds because they already knew what they were going to do. Lincoln Loud and Clyde McBride were these interlopers, rushing off from school to escape the crowds. Letting out a breath when they were far enough away.

"Geez! Why do they text in groups?" Lincoln asked frustrated, as they slowly walked home.

"It's their way of being social." Clyde answered.

"But why do they have to block the front doors every day?"

"I don't know, maybe you can solve that?" Clyde asked, Lincoln rolled his eyes.

"Yeah yeah only if it really becomes a problem. They don't let me make up missions." Lincoln said annoyed.

"Too bad, you guys should really do something about Flip ripping off everybody."

"I know right! But no they won't let me do anything until I get approval." Lincoln finished with a grunt as Clyde parted ways with him to go home. Shortly after Lincoln arrived home and set his bookbag down by the front door. The house had a mellow tone to it, strummed along by a softer tone that Luna was playing in the living room while she watched Lily.

"Lincoln?" Luna called out, stopping mid chord.

"Yeah it's me." He said starting for the basement.

"Just checking bro, everyone else is down stairs." Luna said starting her song again, Lily letting out a giggle in approval.

"Thanks Luna." He said opening the door to the basement. Stepping down the stairs Lincoln heard the hum of the washing machine as he approached it. Reaching up he turned the knob on it once clockwise, then counter, and then back again before pressing the start button 5 times. With that the drier buzzed to life as it lifted itself off the ground to reveal a hole underneath. Lincoln jumped in without hesitation, the drier shortly covering the opening again after he left. He dropped down and into a shabby go kart, zooming off down a long corridor coated in colorful paint splats. Racing to the end, Lincoln pulled on the emergency brake making him fly out of his seat and land on a huge mound of pillows. Pulling himself up, and spitting out a feather or two, he walked over to a lone door next to the pillows and pressed a button. When the door opened, he stepped in and pressed another button clearly labeled 'up' and felt the elevator rise. Greeting him on the other side was an uproar of cartoons and a passing by sibling.

"Numbuh 24." Lisa greeted her brother as he stepped off the elevator.

"Numbuh 37." Lincoln greeted as he dusted off a feather on his shirt.

"Beat your record?" Lisa asked as Lincoln started walking alongside her.

"Didn't grab my stop watch. By the way you might want to check the emergency break."

"You broke it again didn't you?" Lisa asked unamused. Lincoln coyly smiling at her as he shrugged.

"Sorry can't resist." He said, Lisa rolling her eyes in response.

"One of these days I'm going to take those pillows away." She said unamused.

"No you aren't." He said taking the lead.

"Hey guys." Lincoln and Lisa jumped at Lucy's sudden arrival.

"Lucy!" Lincoln snapped.

"Numbuh 52." Lucy corrected.

"You know what I meant. Be more careful okay?" Lincoln told her. On repeated occasions Lincoln would get frustrated with Lucy for her sudden pop ups here. At home he didn't mind it but here he didn't want to have to stay on guard because of his sister. Especially when he needed to pay attention for big threats.

"Sorry, but there's a message for you from numbuh 8."

"Understood, great work Luce."

"Numbuh 52." She corrected again.

"Sorry, where's numbuhs 62 and 63?"

"Cartoons." Lucy answered "Lori was hogging the T.V so they came here."

"Tell them to lower down the volume please. I'll be in the lookout." Lincoln told them before splitting off. Finding his way to a tall wooden spiral staircase around a tree trunk, he walked his way up to his command lookout. It sat atop the branches like a crashed wooden U.F.O. with windows all around. The inside was decorated with various monitors and mismatched metals with a round table in the center with 5 individualized chairs around it. Lincoln sat in his bright white chair accented with black and a large ace symbol a top it. "Computer login, Numbuh 24, password savyronnie." Lincoln called out as a metal tube popped out of the round table.

"Please produce genetic material" the feminine computer voice announced. Pointing out his index finger, Lincoln picked his nose then put his finger in the hole receiving a ding in acceptance. "Login confirmed"

"Inbox, read messages."

"Commencing, first message" it said as the holoprojector activated showing a short kid with a blonde bowl cut in white pants and a orange hoodie with a blue shirt underneath. Speaking with an Australian accent the boy said.

"Hey there numbuh 24, sorry I don't have much good news to tell. No new missions at the moment."

"Oh come on!" Lincoln cried out in disappointment.

"I know you must be frustrated but recent adult and teenager activities have been rather low as of late. Trust me I could use a good thrashing that's not from a simulator."

"I hear that…" Lincoln said rather bored.

"Good news is that we got you approved to investigate Flip like you've been asking." He said, Lincoln perking up at the mention. "But the higher ups want me to emphasize that this is only reconnaissance. Nothing fancy and no heroics."

"And you lost me." Lincoln said disappointed as he slumped in his seat.

"That uh should be all… oh! One more thing." He said Lincoln half paying attention as he looked at the table. "Moon base decommission would like you to file a follow up report on numbuh 41." Lincoln let out a breath at the name. "Just routine. Yeah I'm going to be honest I really hate paper work junk too."

"You're rambling Joey." Lincoln said to himself.

"Well I'm probably going on about nothing. Sector prime V signing off, see you later Lincoln." He said with a salute, Lincoln doing a half salute back before the message ended. Letting out a long frustrated sigh he heard a knock at the entrance to the lookout.

"Hey Lincoln." Lucy said.

"Numbuh 24." He corrected as she walked over to him.

"If you're not going to call me by my number then I should do the same for you." She said sitting in the black leather Victorian style chair next to Lincoln's. Lincoln sat up straight as he spoke to her.

"I could always make you call me commander."

"So could numbuh 8 but I don't see either of you making me do that anytime soon."

"Right…" Lincoln said defeated as he slumped in his chair.

"You okay?"

"Just… still a little weird without her here you know?" Lincoln somberly said.

"It's a bit too quiet at times." Lucy admitted with the same somber tone as Lincoln. "But I think the twins more than make up for it. Besides if you really want to be her sparring partner still I don't think she'd mind." She joked, Lincoln shaking his head in response.

"Noooo that's actually something I don't miss." Lincoln said through a half smile. Lucy cracking one as well as she folded her arms in.

"So what was the message, commander?" Lucy asked with a mocking tone at the end that Lincoln playfully ignored.

"Nothing to special, no missions. But we're cleared for spying on Flip if you're up to it." Lincoln offered Lucy who kept her smile up.

"I may be." She said somewhat gleefully.

"Great I'll tell Numbuh 37 to get your spy gear ready and…" suddenly an alarm went off Loud with red flashing lights. Lincoln and Lucy took one panicked look at each other before they stormed out of the look out. Reaching back to the bulk of the tree house Lincoln opened a hatch in the wall that sucked him and Lucy in while closing itself. Quickly they were pulled through a long tube that pulled their hair back before exiting in their house's bathroom tub, Lisa and the twins there to greet them while they fixed their clothes.

"Ugh! Can you please fix that thing so it doesn't ruin my hair?" Lola growled at Lisa.

"It was designed for quick escape, not cosmetic needs." Lisa answered as Lincoln pulled himself up and helped Lucy out.

"Kids dinner!" Their father announced. Straightening their clothes and their hair the five ran down the stairs and to their table in the kitchen where their father set down their hot steaming dinner. "There you go kids." He said happily as his children started reaching for the potatoes and corn. "Wow you guys must be starving." He noted.

"Just got plans dad." Lincoln answered shoveling some chicken on his plate.

"Oh really what's up?"

"Just playing with the kids next door."


	2. Operation 2

Every shade of the nighttime blues colored the skies over Royal Woods. The bright yellow street lights breaking the flow with gentle house lights showing everyone starting to simmer down and call it a night. A sore thumb sticking out of this idle moment was the overly bright white lights at Flip's and inside was the man himself behind the counter looking over papers.

Unbeknownst to him however was the pair of pop bottle binoculars looking right at him from a distance. Nor the colander satellite pointing towards him either.

"Mission status: active, preliminary investigation reveals…"

"Nothing." Lucy said interrupting her brother.

"Scratch that from the record." Lincoln said into his ear piece, dryly, as he steadied his hand with the colander in it.

"Well there's nothing else to report on Lincoln."

"W-what there's plenty!" Lincoln stammered.

"Really?" Lucy asked in her monotone.

"Uh yeah like… uh… look at the time it's 10!"

"And?" Lucy said still in her monotone, sound just a bit unimpressed.

"That means Flip works long hours."

"I repeat, and?" Lucy asked again, Lincoln starting to get irritated with her disinterest.

"So isn't it funny that we never see anyone else but him behind the counter?"

"I just thought he lived here."

"Yeah but everybody's got to sleep at some point, kind of weird that he's just standing there."

"Isn't that what cashier's usually do Lincoln?"

"Oh whatever!" Lincoln said as he focused on his hearing. The satellite was picking up on any sound in Flip's. Except there wasn't any, besides the hum of the air conditioning. Lucy let out a sigh as she set her binoculars down, rubbing her eyes.

"Numbuh 37 to away team." They heard Lisa say on their ear pieces, Lucy first to respond.

"Hey Lisa."

"Numbuh 37." She corrected "How's the spying going?"

"First hour so far nothing." Lincoln answered.

"He's barely moved since we got here." Lucy added.

"That's not true he turned a page!"

"Riveting…" Lisa said, Lincoln rolling his eyes. "…you only have another hour and a half before mom and dad come upstairs.

"That's not going to be enough!" Lincoln said.

"We could get this done faster if you let me do my job." Lucy said annoyed.

"You can't, we have to take it slow this time." Lincoln stressed.

"We never use to take it slow…" Lucy trailed off as she went back to looking at Flip. Lincoln turned from Lucy frustrated as he continued to talk Lisa.

"Put 62 and 63 to work to cover for us." Lincoln spat out.

"Snippy tonight aren't you?" Lisa retorted.

"Lisa!" Lincoln snapped.

"Calm down." Lisa said coldly. Lincoln did take a breath while pinching his eyes, being the boss made him do that a lot. "63 is already asleep for dance practice tomorrow morning which only leaves us with 62."

"Well what's she doing?" Lincoln asked.

"Testing a prototype of mine, ETA for being done is 20 minutes."

"Ugh that's cutting close to when mom checks my room."

"What about Numbuh 52?"

"Easy, her side of the room is so dark Lynn loses track of her." He said with a slight chuckle at the end. "still better safe than sorry put some pillows under her cover with the wig."

"It will be done, finish up preliminary and get back ASAP."

"Roger that, numbuh 24 out." He said brushing his hand through his hair before turning to Lucy. "Okay I think we can afford to get a little closer Luce. Front dumpster would give us a chance to see what he's throwing away and…" he found he was talking to no one but the crickets. "Dang it."

Lucy was quick to rush into the ventilation ducts, admittedly having to hold her breath before she reached a open vent in the building. These ducts were much dustier than the ones she crawled through at home and god knows what else was in this dust. Looking from side to side she saw she was positioned right behind the counter with Flips feet just to her left. Letting out a breath then taking a short one in she started unscrewing the vent covering, getting to the third before she was startled.

"Numbuh 52!" she tried so hard to brace herself for Lincoln's shriek but all the same she hit her head on the top of the vent dropping the screws through the vent. Lucy almost bit a piece of her tongue when she saw the screws about to hit Flip. Only they didn't, not in the way she expected. They phased right through him! Lucy's jaw dropped just as Lincoln rang in her ear one more time. "Lucy!"

"Lincoln shut up!" She yelled hearing him gasp as she finished unscrewing the last two screws and pushed out the vent.

"Numbuh 52 evacuate the building you've compromised your cover!" Lincoln said paniced as Lucy reached out and waved her hand through Flip's leg a few time watching it fizzle in and out.

"Lincoln be quiet you're not going to believe this."

"I can't believe you did **THIS**!"

"Okay first stop yelling in my ear first and second look at Flip right now." She said waving her hand fast through flip making him phase in and out. Lincoln took a glance at Flip that turned to a stare as he saw him just blink in and out of standing there behind his counter.

"Oh my gosh!" he said surprised.

"Now get your butt in here, I think preliminary work is done."

"Take out the camera I'll be right in." Lincoln said. Lucy pulling out a stick of gum and chewing it fast before pulling out a slingshot. Aiming at the camera right above the counter she fired and got a direct on the lens just as Lincoln got through the front door. Lucy got up out of the vent and waved her hand one more time through Flip just so Lincoln could see it up close.

"Now why would he have this?" Lincoln asked himself.

"Definitely worth reporting on." Lucy said as Lincoln looked at the ceiling, seeing a small metal disk that was projecting out this hologram.

"More like definitely worth an investigation." He said with a grin. "Mind hopping up there to grab that?" Lincoln asked gesturing to the holo emitter.

"Going to need a five step start." She said as Lincoln cupped his hands.

"Ready when you are." He said as Lucy took her steps then ran at Lincoln. Hopping off his hands she reached and pinched the emitter off the ceiling before she landed on her feet.

"And here you are." She said handing it to him.

"Great job Numbuh 52." Lincoln said as he pulled out his phone and pressed on his ear piece again. "37 plans have changed."

"Of course they did, what did you guys do?"

"Nothing nuts, but we did find something crazy.'

"What is it?" she asked Lincoln opened an app on his phone. Then his camera light turned on with a black light tint.

"I just opened the KND app, scans coming in now."

"Affirmative scans coming in." Lisa confirmed. Lincoln putting away his phone looking over to Lucy.

"Good work but Luce I have to report this."

"Harsh." Lucy replied simply.

"I'm sorry but I don't want to get Numbuh 8 in trouble again."

"We've done stuff like this before you know." She quipped back making Lincoln mad.

"Yeah and High command had their butts for it every time they improvised on missions!"

"Your's literally." Lucy said with a grin, Lincoln blushing beat red.

"Shut up! Don't change this around I…"

"Guys!" Lisa spoke up again with some feedback hurting Lincoln and Lucy's ears.

"Yeah?" Lincoln asked pained.

"Bring this back to the treehouse immediately! We need to report this ASAP!" Lisa said panicked.

"Why it's nothing special Lis, just a standard…" as Lincoln explained a clank went through the store. Looking around fast they saw the cigarette racks start to jitter and bounce.

"Lincoln? Lincoln!?" Lisa called out.

"RTTing right now Lis." He said before gesturing to Lucy. "Luce we got to go!" Lincoln told her, she responding with a nod before she rushed back into the vent. Lincoln then pocketed the holo emitter before following Lucy into the vent. Out they came and in a flash they rushed away from the store, serpentining back to the bushes to get a eye what was going on. By the time they got the binoculars out Flip was walking out of a elevator behind the cigarette rack.

"Holy moly!" Lincoln exclaimed with Lucy's jaw dropping in response.

"What's happening!?" Lisa asked.

"Flip has a secret elevator!"

"What!?"

"Behind the cigarettes! Lisa I was right!" Lincoln said with hint excitement.

"Quit kissing your own butt and get a photograph of that!"

"Oh!" Lincoln said in hurry as he pulled out his phone and started taking as many pictures as he could before the wall went back down behind Flip.

A run back to the house and their parents were none the wiser of what Lincoln and Lucy did. After their mom said her goodnights to them, they were crowded in Lisa and Lily's room looking over at the holo emitter.

"Good work guys, I'll study it but Lincoln you need to contact numbuh 8 as soon as you can." Lisa said as she started fiddling with the emitter, taking off the cover.

"Woah keep it together he's going to want that." Lincoln told her.

"Lincoln you have no idea what this is." Lisa said.

"It's just a holo emitter."

"No, it's a teens next door holo emitter!"


	3. Operation 3

**As always thanks to my friend and helpful editor .**

"Ohhh! I think I caught a bug in my mouth!" Lana said happily as she got her nightie on. Crunching down hard on the ladybug she found.

"Gross!" Lola yelled from her bed as Lana hopped into hers.

"It was so cool Lola, you shoulda seen me I was all woosh! Wosh woosh!" Lana said imitating an airplane.

"Bleh, if there's any chance of a bug touching my lips then no thank you!" Lola said in disgust.

"Oh c'mon lighten up, it's not any worse then that time numbuh 982 put us in that room full of dirty socks." At the mention of that Lola immediately reached for her waistbasket and almost threw up. Lana rolling her eyes before reaching for hops and petting him.

"Don't ever remind me of that again." Lola said sickly putting the basket back down. "Those socks were so dirty they were glowing green!"

Lana let out a delighted sigh "I know. I miss being there.". She said, referring to the artic base where they were trained. Hops nestled himself in his tank as Lana rustled her head in her pillow. Lola turned away from her twin to face the wall, not wanting to get sick again, and fell asleep.

When morning came Lola woke up first. Not even a minute to stretch she hurried to the bathroom and started her daily routine. Shower, shampoo, conditioner, dry off, brush her hair, brush her teeth, hair spray, eye liner, hair spray, look at herself in the mirror, hair spray, and finally with no one else around pick her nose to get rid of those icky boogies. Oddly, when she finished, she noticed that Lincoln and Lucy were nowhere to be seen in the hallway. Lucy less so but Lincoln usually woke up earlier than anybody. But there no was no time to wonder where he was. Hustling back to her room she quickly got on her bright pink tutu just as Lana was waking up.

"Morning." She groggily yawned out.

"Morning, can't talk gotta run." Lola said before running out their down.

"Knock 'em dead." Lana told her. Lola hurried to her oldest sisters room and knocked.

"Lori!"

Tiredly, her sister responded "Hold on, I'm coming.". Lori stumbled to her door and pulled it open, rubbing her eyes as she grabbed her purse. "Ready to roll?" she asked opening her tired eyes.

"As I'll ever be. Now c'mon let's go!" Lola said rushing down the stairs as her big sister slowly walked down the stairs to the car.

Lana then stepped out of their room in her overalls scratching her butt before stretching out her arms.

"Catching the worm, early bird?" Lana heard Luan joke from down the hall dressed in her clown uniform.

"Maybe, haven't had breakfast yet."

"Yuck, no wonder Lola's always bugging out about you." Luan joked with a laugh. "I'd love go through the mud with you, but I got to make a 2 year old's birthday today." Luan told her before hurrying down the stairs.

"Break a leg!" Lana told her.

"Slapstick is cheap!" she responded back before closing the front door.

A ribbit brought her back to her room, seeing Hops in the doorway.

"Aw did I forget you again?" Lana said in a cutesy way. Hops hopped over to her and slipped into her front pocket making Lana laugh when he tickled her. "I vote treehouse, how about you?". With a ribbit the decision was made, making her way to the tub for express route.

On way to the civic theater, Lori hit a snag in both her and Lola's days. The road was packed and standing still.

"C'mon!" Lola shrieked in frustration.

"Ugh Lola yelling about it won't make them go any faster."

"Yeah and honking the horn will?"

"Better than losing my voice over this." Lori retorted, Lola slumping back in her seat. Lori rubbed her eyes again as the traffic moved to a crawl. Lola now noticing how dark her eyes were this morning.

"Did you run out of foundation this morning or have a late night with Bobby?" Lola bluntly asked. Lori putting on her famous scowl.

"I don't think that's any of your business?" Lori snapped back with fire. Lola letting out a scoff.

"Coulda just said yes, you know I got some foundation in my room."

"Maybe I didn't want to use your kiddy make up!"

"Hey!"

"Lady will you get a move on!" the guy behind them yelled. Lori looking back at the road to see the traffic was moving again.

"Well get a move on already!" Lola told her. Lori flooring it, making Lola hit the back of her seat.

Lana had just arrived back at the treehouse. Slipping her hat back on since it fell off in vacuum ride back here.

"Oh you gotta see them Hops, I'm thinking about painting mine to look like a dragonfly!" she said excitedly. Hops licking his lips with a ribbit in response. "Aw you're hungry? Oh you're going to love the sky! It's like a all you can eat buffet!"

"Numbuh 62?" the intercom went off, Lola looking up at the absent air.

"Lisa?"

"Correct, can you please report to the lookout immediately?"

"Is something up?" Lana asked, they rarely let her in there.

"Numbuh 24 will explain when you get here."

"Uh okay on my way!" She said hurrying up there.

Lori had finally arrived at Royal woods civic theater. Coming to an abrupt stop at the entrance, Lola was just eager to get away from Lori as she did of her.

"I'm telling mom!" Lola told her as she unbuckled her seat belt.

"Oh yeah?" Lori asked cocky.

"Yeah huh meanie!" Lola snapped back.

"Oh well it'd be a shame if mom found out where all her good ear rings keep going." Lori said, making Lola gasp.

"Y-you wouldn't!" she yelped scarred. Lori slowly taking out her phone, Lola trying to grab it but Lori just able to push her away.

"Oh mom check Lola's jewelry box and…" she said teasingly.

"Okay I wont tell!" Lola caved in. Lori, with a smile, put her phone away.

"Good, I'll be back to pick you up in a hour. Break a leg!" she said as Lola backed out of the van and Lori drove off. Lola looking back at the van oddly, for a moment feeling unnerved.

Lana hopped into the lookout, seeing her older siblings sitting in their respective chairs.

"Morning everybody!" She said happily as she hurried to her chair, a wooden board connected to a empty tool box for a seat. "So what's up?" she asked.

"You won't believe what we found last night." Lincoln told her.

"Flip's lost and found?"

"No that is still a mystery." Lisa told said before slidding over the holo emitter to Lana. She inspecting it a little before going wide eyed.

"No way! How did this get in Flip's!?" Lola asked excited.

"Still no idea on that." Lucy said.

"We only have these things in the KND museum!"

"That's why I reported it to numbuh 8 last night." Lincoln said.

"Any word back yet?" Lola asked setting the emitter back on the table.

"We got him on hold right now, I was about to come get you until you got to the treehouse yourself." Lincoln said before typing something on the keyboard. In the center of the table their holoprojector came online with numbuh 8 looking back at them. "Numbuh 8." Lincoln addressed him with a nod, he nodding back.

"Numbuh 24, sector V gamma." He addressed. "Good work, all be it a little out of the parameters of your mission." He said, Lincoln glancing over at Lucy for that. "The moonbase would like the emitter you recovered for analysis."

"I can assure you I was very thorough in my investigation on the device." Lisa spoke up.

"I'm not saying anything about your work numbuh 37. The KND higher ups just want to be sure about this." Numbuh 8 said. Lisa folding her arms looking slightly offended.

"Sir what's going to be the next step in this?" Lincoln asked.

"Well as you all know the teens next door have been disorganized since the great social media boom of 2007."

"And the great pimple bombings of '08." Lola spoke up.

"That is right numbuh 62!" numbuh 8 said. Lola grinning like the goofy kid she was. She really respected numbuh 8, since his brother numbuh 4 was famous for those pimple outbreaks. "But back to business, those events along with gas stations starting to close down around the country lead to their disbanding."

"Which makes even more concerning that we found this at Flip's." Lincoln said.

"Very right on that Numbuh 24."

"Could it be that there already was TND base under Flip's and he just found it by accident?" Lucy sugeested.

Numbuh 8 hummed curiously, "It's possible. I'll have to consult the other prime members of V before we can start theorizing. Well that and more information is going to be needed. That's where you guys come in."

"More recon?" Lincoln asked.

"With authorization for more intuitive investigation. Consider yourself allowed for more loose reconnaissance, we need to know what's really going on at that food and fuel." Lincoln perked up at the mention of this next mission.

"Yes sir we'll have it done!"

"Good, your objectives is to investigate any computer networks Flip may have at the establishment. If the TND is back then they'll be piggy backing off Flips wifi."

"I should be able to detect that." Lisa said.

"And we need to know what's behind that cigarette display. If you get back there then the mission is again strictly reconnaissance, we don't want to risk the chance that they are back." Numbuh 8 said, Lincoln nodding in response.

"Understood sir, we'll get it done asap."

"Great, numbuh 8 signing off." He said as he fizzled out. There was a moment of silence before Lincoln leaped onto the table.

"Woohoo! An actual mission! Woooo!" he cheered, Lucy and Lisa looking at him embarrassed. Lana however jumping up and joining him.

"Our leader." Lisa said in a mix of irritation and embarrassment.

"Yup." Lucy said.

Lola was hard at work practicing her routine with the other girls. Dancing circles around them with ease but not flawlessly. Alien to everyone else but especially her she had slipped on her own feet at least 3 times today. On the third time Lola smacked her fist on the stage in frustration.

"Okay okay girls break time!" the director called out coming the stage to Lola. "Lola you okay?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine it's just these shoes!" she lied. "They're just too tight when I do too many spins."

"You sure hun?" the director asked.

"Yeah yeah, I just need to get off my feet for a bit." Lola said looking around on stage.

"Okay well just don't push yourself to hard sweaty"

"Ou! I got a idea!" Lola said happily.

"Huh?" the director said as Lola hurried back stage.

Soon enough they were back to their practice, Lola front and center as usual. Dancing her heart out and going into a spin, everyone getting a little scarred that she'd fall again. But then she began to float off the ground. Everyone including the director watching in amazement as she was lifted above the other girls in a spin before spread out her arms like wings and stopped. Lola was grinning at the attention, the right attention in her mind. Then she felt something, before she knew it she was falling onto the stage because her line broke. The director quickly jumped on to the stage while all the other kids backed away.

"Lola!" she yelled. Lola laid there before the director got her up halfway before Lola swatted her hands away to get herself up. "Lola? Are you okay? That was really dangerous you know that?"

"I'm going home…" she told the director. Standing up with her head down she made her way to the exit.

"But Lola wait we…"

"I'm going home!" she snapped back before slamming the door shut. Lola called Lori, half expecting it to go to voicemail but she answered on the third ring.

"Yeah?"

"Come get me." Lola said in a odd sad voice.

"Uh okay you alright?" Lori asked noticing her tone.

"Just get me please."

"On my way." She said before hanging up. Lola hid around the corner to make sure the director couldn't find her. She smacked the brick wall in frustration, clenching her hand in pain when it caught up to her and cried. She cried so hard that her make up began to run as she sat in dirt. Then vanzilla came up, Lori looking at her agasped before she ran out of the car to her.

"Lola?" she didn't respond, she just kept crying into her tutu. The sight was scary to Lori, Lola hated dirt! The thought of it on her tutu? Just impossible but here she was crying into it. "Hold on I got you." Lori told her wrapping her arms around her to pick her up. Lola didn't fight it, in fact she clinged on to and cried into her shoulder before she set her down in the passenger seat. Then another shock came to Lori when she set her down, her shoulder hadn't just been cried on but bled on. "Lola! Look at me." She hurriedly said, making her raise up her chin gasping when she saw he nose bleeding. Lori hurried to the back of the van and pulled a box of tissues from under the seat. Wiping off the snotty bloody mess on her, Lola began to calm down a bit when Lori handed her some twisted up tissues. "Put these in your nose." She told her. With some hesitation she did and Lori whipped back around to the driver's seat and hurried home. Looking at Lola a few times between the stop signs. She hadn't called their mother yet, not till they get home.

When they did, Lori came over to Lola's side again and picked her up and out of there. Walking into their house, the first one to great them was Luna watching T.V.

"Hey guys what's…whoa." She said hopping up when she saw Lola being carried. "Dude what happened?"

"I don't know, where's mom and dad?"

"They're taking a walk with Charles and Lily. Is she okay?" Luna asked reaching for Lola who rolled her shoulder to get her hand off.

"I-I don't know yet… look I'm going to clean her up. I'll tell mom and dad when they get home okay?"

"You got it, you hang in their champ." She told Lola before Lori carried her up the stairs and into the bathroom. Sitting her on the sink Lori started the water. Taking a towel she wiped off any little bits of gunk she couldn't get with the tissues along with her make up. Lola kept sniffling in pain as Lori dried her off.

"Looks like you really hurt your nose." She said Lola nodding in response before folding her arms in with a frown. That wasn't going to do "Stay right here." She said as she quickly ran over to her room and brought her make up bag. Lola looking at it confused before Lori opened it with a smile. "Now let me introduce you to real make up." She said taking out a brush.

A few little strokes on the cheeks, some eyeliner, and a light powdering of her nose later. Lori turned her to look in mirror and Lola gasped at what she saw.

"Oh wait!" she said before gently pulling out the tissues in her nose and throwing them away. "Tada!" She said gleefully as Lola couldn't believe it. She looked so pretty in the mirror, way better than she usually does. She could pass for 8 she looked so good! "Way better than the kiddy make up right?"

"You weren't kidding." Lola finally spoke up.

"Now come on." Lori said helping Lola down. "So what happened?" she asked, Lola looking away.

"I… I don't want to talk about it right now."

"I know, had to ask." Lori said before patting Lola on the head. "Just tell me when you're ready princess." She said before leaving the bathroom. Lola was about to follow her to say thanks before the mirror fizzled into a image of Lisa.

"Numbuh 63." She said almost scaring her.

"What!?"

"Please don't yell, we need you at the treehouse."

"Now?"

"Yes now." Lola looked back to Lori's room once before looking back at Lisa.

"I-I'll be there in a few." She said before running out and hurrying into Lori's room. Hugging her leg before she sat down on her bed.

"Thank you thank you thank you soooooo much!" Lola said happily.

Lori chuckling at that "No problem Lola." Then a second later she was running down stairs and toward the laundry machine for the go kart track.


	4. Operation 4

Second night of the investigation and the whole team was ready. The crickets were chirping as Flip brought out a tall and full trash can and emptied in the dumpster before stepping back in to his establishment. A moment later the opposite door to the dumpster opened, with Lola excitedly opening the side where flip just threw away his trash.

"Lola!" Lincoln chastised with his sister quickly going back in. On their side of the dumpster was a mobile equipment room with Lisa on the computer typing away.

"Standard security system security so far, nothing too suspicious about his network."

"We could be trying to access the wrong entry point." Lucy suggested. Lisa hummed as she turned to Lincoln.

"I have a suggestion."

"Shoot." Lincoln told her. Lisa quickly turned back to her computer to snatch some shiny bits before turning back to her brother and sisters.

"I need you guys to insert these data snippers. If there really is a network I can't find then we need to find the hard lines." She told them handing the snippers to Lincoln who distributed them to his sisters minus Lisa, she was always their vigilant pair of eagle eyes.

"You guys know the mission, find any cord you can find and clip these on there. Numbuh 52 you're with me. Numbuhs 62 and 63 you're going to tackle the inside."

"Got it!" Lana said excited, Lincoln quick to shush her.

"Don't forget we're incognito, no talking unless needed." He stressed. His sisters nodding in response before jumping out of the dumpster and splitting up. Lucy and Lincoln quickly started tagging whatever cords they could find while the twins were finding the air vent Lucy had opened the night prior.

"You know there is no way I'm dragging my dress through that dusty thing." Lola whined.

Rolling her eyes, Lana said "Okay princess then you figure out a way in.". Before Lola could protest Lana hustled herself into the vent. Lola growled, annoyed as she looked over to the bright light coming from the inside of Flip's, making the gears in her head start to turn with an idea.

Lincoln and Lucy were quick to set up the data snippers where they could so they made it back to the dumpster in no time. Lana was still crawling around the vents finding whatever wires she could find.

"Nothing unusual so far." Lisa said to Lincoln and Lucy.

"The twins should have better luck than us." Lincoln said aloud.

"Twin, princess didn't come with." Lana told them as she set up another snipper.

"Oh my gosh you're kidding…" Lincoln said annoyed.

"You want me to go in for back up?" Lucy asked.

"No guys I got this. No worries." Lana said as she continued on.

"Lola you better come in!" Lincoln said aggravated. Only getting more so when Lola didn't respond. "Lola!" he yelled out, grunting when she again didn't answer. "Numbuh 52 go find her please!" Lincoln told Lucy. With a nod she was quickly out of the dumpster just as Lisa was groaning.

"Nothing." She said frustrated.

"Its got to be there!"

At the storefront, Flip was behind the counter fighting off winks of sleep when a tall woman walked in. A long pink dress with a pair of glasses and a big sun hat walked to the counter striking Flip's attention.

"Afternoon mame." He said tiredly.

"Hi there." The woman said sweetly and high pitched, catching Flip off guard. "You sound tired."

"Well long nights are a given here mame. Do you need help?" He said standing up straight as the woman sweetly said.

"Oh I'm in a bit of a pickle. My car broke down and I've seemed to lost my phone."

"Oh no." Flip said.

"No worries though, but may I borrow your phone?" She politely asked as Flip nodded handing her his land line over the counter. "Thank you so much." She said sweetly making Flip smile.

Just as this was happening Lana had a clear view through the vents to see what was going on.

"Huh?" she hummed to herself looking on the scene. "Wait… what?"

"Something the matter numbuh 62?" Lincoln asked.

"I think I found our princess." Lana said.

"She's in the vents with you?"

"No." Lucy spoke up, looking at the scene from the front of the store. "She's playing dress up again."

"Oh nuts…" Lincoln said to himself.

The woman brought the phone to her ear as Flip relaxed a bit behind the counter. Without him seeing she seemed to clip something on to the phone cord.

Lisa's Computer then lit up when it was connected.

"We got something!" Lisa said excited as she started to type away.

"Wait really!?" Lincoln said excited.

"Lola seemed to have done that one." Lucy said.

"Good job on princess." Lana said.

"Yeah good work to the all of you but return to the dumpster. Try and signal Lola to get out of there." Lincoln ordered.

"I'm on it." Lana said as Lucy just as quickly got back to the dumpster. "Psst."

Lola looked up at the vent seeing Lana signaling her to go back to the dumpster. Lola nodded quick as she set down the phone. "Thanks sooooo much."

"Oh no problem little lady, so what's the new?"

"My papa is just down the street so I'll meet him up there."

"You can just wait for him here if you like." Flip insisted but Lola shook her head.

"Oh no I wouldn't want to stretch your hospitality. Thanks again." Lola said with a skip in her step out the door. Flip waved bye as a tiny red light started to blink by the cigarette rack.

Lola hurried back to the dumpster, ditching her disguise before hopping back in. "Did we get it?" Lola asked, Lincoln turning to her looking a little ticked.

"We've located a hidden connection covered up by Flip's wifi signal thanks to your efforts." Lisa said as she continued to type away. Lola cracked up a smile just as Lana got back to the dumpster.

"Oh well then you're welcome." Lola said in her normal bratty tone with a smile. Lincoln then started to her as Lana shook her head at her twin. "What?" Lola asked half offended, expecting a cheer or some praise for her actions.

"Numbuh 63 what were you thinking?" Lincoln asked.

With a scoff Lola answered, "My job, and as you can see I got some results." she gestured to the computer still a lit with information.

With disapproval Lana shook her head, "No you ran off to play dress up again!". Lola glared at her sister then spat out.

"It's not dress up! In case you didn't notice I fooled Flip so you could get your little snipper on there!"

"Only cause you didn't want to get dirty!" Lana spat back.

"Girls." Lincoln interrupted.

"Well maybe I don't like crawling through dirty rat trap vents!" Lola yelled.

"Girls!" Lincoln interrupted again.

"It's part of the job princess get over yourself!"

"Girls!" Lincoln shouted making them stop. "Enough." Lincoln said exasperated before taking a breath. "You both did a good job, but Lola the results don't mean anything if you don't tell us what you're doing."

Lola scoffed again "The job was done Lincoln see!" She said gesturing to the computer again.

"Just because the job was done doesn't mean you didn't take a big risk doing that without telling us." Lincoln explained. Lisa and Lucy were staying out of the line of fire on this, more so just keeping their eyes on the computer that had a lot of scattered files poping up on the monitor. Lisa began to type more furiously as they began to pop up more rapidly causing Lucy to look at her with some concern, she could see her glasses fogging up as if she was struggling with something.

"Everything okay?" Lucy asked

"Slight problem, just need to set up some quick firewalls. No big deal." She responded.

"Lucy does stuff on her own all the time, so what if I do the same thing?" Lola protested.

"That doesn't mean she's excused from it!" Lincoln told her. Lucy turning to them at the mention of her name while Lisa began to get increasingly more flustered with what was going on on screen.

"Lincoln, chill out." Lucy told him entering the fray. "It's not a big deal in the long run."

"Well what if Flip recognized her? The entire operation would've been a failure." Lincoln said to her.

"But she didn't." Lucy reminded. Then unnoticed by the others, Lisa screen began to flash red.

"Oh no…" she said to herself before picking up the pace with her keystrokes.

"So your defending her?" Lana asked Lucy.

"I'm just saying it's not a big deal." Lucy stated again.

"We're a team, we're not supposed to stride off on our own." Lincoln reminded them again. Lisa gasped as the screen went black, quickly she yanked out her flash drive just as Lola spoke up again.

"Well it'd be better team if the leader wasn't such a worrier all the time!" Lola yelled. Lincoln was going to blow at what she said but before he could Lisa hit a button on the wall of the dumpster making the lights in it flash red, catching everyone's attention.

"Evacuate!" Lisa yelled at the top of her lungs, hurrying to the dumpster's exit.

"What? Lisa what's going on?" Lincoln demanded as a computer voice said.

" _SELF DESTRUCT SEQUENCE ACTIVATED. PLEASE VACATE THE DUMPSTER."_

"We've been compromised, retreat, retreat!" Lisa shrieked as she jumped out of the dumpster. In a panic, everyone else hurried out running away from the dumpster. But waiting for them outside was something unexpected. Lincoln and company had the color drain out of their face when they saw something right out of the KND history. Teenagers in battle ready armor. Lincoln and Lucy's mouths were agape with the twins and Lisa frightened and taking shield behind them.

"You're the ones hacking us?" One the teens, a boy, said shocked as the team found themselves pinned next to the dumpster.

"Kids next door…" Another teen, a girl, said under her breath.

"Lincoln… I'm ready play team member now." Lola said as Lincoln looked around the area. They were pinned, not much room for an escape, and there were three armored teenagers not looking like they were going to go easy on them. All in all Lincoln could think of a few worse scenarios he's been a part of.

"What were you doing!?" the boy teen demanded.

"Lincoln?" Lucy asked a little shaky.

"Follow my lead and work up a distraction." Lincoln said not only to Lucy but to his other sisters.

"I asked you a question! What were you doing!?" The teen yelled again taking a step closer, Lincoln then charged at him.

"Kids next door! Battle stations!" Lincoln yelled shoving himself into the teens knee making him fall before the other two tried to grab Lincoln. Lucy acted fast and turned to the actual dumpster and just reached in, cringing when she grabbed a wad of trash and threw it at the other two teens.

"Ew!" Lola shrieked as Lucy shook her hand off. "Quick move!" She ordered them and they listened. His sisters hurried toward Lincoln and started running away like they intended but not before Lucy played a wild card. "Lincoln help." She said stopping right behind one of the trash covered teens still trying to get some sticky newspaper out of their eyes.

"Lucy c'mon let's go!" Lincoln ordered. Lucy brought back on of her legs.

"Can't have them following help me out!" She told him, but he just store blankly not knowing what she wanted to do. With a frustrated sigh Lucy did a quick hitting both of the trash disoriented teens making them trip over the one that Lincoln rammed and hitting their dumpster. Lucy ran back to Lincoln with their other sisters far ahead of them now.

"Was there a reason for that?" Lincoln asked.

"In five seconds there will be." She said flatly.

"Why what happens in?" Lincoln began to ask but the explosion just then gave him the answer.

"Huh, guess I meant two."

 **Mission report**

 **Operation: T.R.A.S.H.H.E.A.P**

 **TACTICAL**

 **RECONISANCE**

 **ACCOMPLISHED**

 **SPITE**

 **HARD**

 **HEADED**

 **EGOMANIAC MAKING**

 **A**

 **PROBLEM**

 **We've lost the dumpster, request for a new one already being sent through. Numbuh 37 did retain her flash drive but it holds a risk of opening due to the enemy's hacking attempt. Request to open the drive in the moon base labs have been sent through as well. Action is being taken to punish numbuh 63 are in progress, considering banning from going on missions until seen fit. It's just as thought, and the footage recorded from Flip's will prove it, the TND have returned.**

 **Numbuh 24 signing off…**

 **END TRANSMISSION**


	5. Operation 5

"Suspended!?" Lola yelled from her princess throne in the lookout with her teammates around the table.

"Yes suspended from all missions!" Lincoln shot back, Lola looking she was about to jump over the table and maul him.

"Are you nuts!? We finished the mission, we got what we wanted didn't we?" Lola said angrily.

"The data we acquired could be compromised." Lisa added in. Lola shifting her scowl over at her.

"Are you saying that's my fault?" Lola asked offended.

"You probably gave us away to the teens in that goofy get up." Lana shot out.

"I'm sorry did you get any results out of crawling through the ducts?" Lola spat out making Lana jump over to her to beat her up.

"Girls!" Lincoln shouted out before either of them could throw the first punch. "Lana get off her before I suspend you too!"

"Why what did I do?" Lana snapped back.

"Assault on a team member in the tree house, that doesn't fly either now SIT DOWN!" Lincoln barked. Lana, through gritted teeth, nodded too Lincoln and backed off Lola. Once they were back in their Lucy, who was sitting quietly for most of this time, spoke up.

"Lincoln did you talk to numbuh 8 or high command about this yet?"

"I sent a mission report last night, he should be calling as soon as he's done with his homework." Lincoln responded but Lucy shook her head.

"I meant about the suspension." Lincoln flashed her a look, but she wasn't shaken by it.

"Command doesn't need to know everything I do." Lola shot up as soon as he finished.

"That is totally unfair! We got the mission done!" Lola shouted at him and Lincoln stood up out his chair.

"That is not what this about princess! On the field you listen to me! We're a team, meaning that if one of us gets down and dirty then we all get down and dirty!" Lincoln yelled out.

"Here here!" Lana chanted, Lola not at all looking amused.

"I didn't see Lisa going through the ducts last night what's her excuse?" Lola asked. This time Lisa looked offended.

"I was safe guarding your pretty pink butt in case you didn't notice. The teens would've found us in that dumpster unless I managed to see the danger in that data snip you placed." Lisa said annoyed. Lola growled out all of them.

"You all are just crazy!"

"Lola calm down." Lucy said, Lola shooting her her scowl but not yelling anything at her. Just then, the screen near Lincoln's chair began to flash with a ring to accompany it.

"Everyone out." Lincoln ordered. Lola looking back at him.

"No we're not done here!"

"I don't have time for this, Lana get her out of here!" Lincoln ordered, Lana happily jumping up to do that. Lucy looking to Lincoln.

"Lincoln that doesn't seem necessary." She said with disapproval.

"Numbuh 8 is calling right now and I need to talk to him. So please just get her out of here." He said tiredly frustrated.

"You big jerk!" Lola yelled as Lana dragged her away. Lucy, hesitantly, got up and started for the exit. Lisa however seemed to stay seated.

"Lisa I really need to talk to him alone." Lincoln said.

"I need to discus bringing the compromised drive to the moon base with him."

"I'll be sure that's the first thing I talk about, but for now it just needs to be me and him." With a sigh Lisa jumped out of her seat and headed down the stairs. Then with everyone gone Lincoln picked up the call, the hologram of Numbuh 8 appearing on the table with a really bad case of bed head.

"Late night studying?" Lincoln asked. Numbuh 8 chuckled.

"Overly ruffled hair, algebra is evil."

Lincoln laughed in response "I hear that." He said as Numbuh 8 looked to his tablet.

"I'm sorry I haven't opened your mission report yet, you know how it is it's mostly a high command record keeping procedure."

"Yeah yeah, numbuh 10 used to complain about doing them all the time." Lincoln said slunking into his seat. "But I'll give you the sparknotes version. Mission was a success and we now have proof that the teens next door is back."

"Wait you do!?" Numbuh 8 said jumping in shock.

"Yeah! In the report I sent a video from our dumpster showing teens in battle ready armor about to attack us!"

"No flipping way! We haven't seen any of those in operation since my brother was an operative." Numbuh said astonished. "Good job then numbuh 24. I'll talk to high command again and we'll get you approved for a larger operation on that place."

"Great, hopefully it'll go smoother than this one." Lincoln slipped out, Numbuh got curious.

"Something happen?"

"Trouble with the team not listening on the field… nothing big." Lincoln said. Numbuh hummed curiously before he set his tablet down.

"Give them time dude, your still new at this whole leading thing but so far you're doing great." Numbuh 8 tried to reassure him. Lincoln wasn't swayed but he did nod in response.

"Thank you sir, I'll keep my ears open for your next transmission."

"Gotcha, prime sector V out." He said before the hologram fizzled out, Lincoln letting out a loud sigh when it ended. Just now remembering he forgot to mention the stuff about Lisa's drive.

"Oh well…" He said to himself "No big deal."

When the girls made it back to the house Lola had locked herself in her room to Lana's annoyance. Lisa had gone back to her room, securing the drive from last night was her priority. Lucy, not really having much to do decided to go down stairs for some t.v time. To her luck there wasn't anyone in the living room when she got down. But a moment before she could flip the channel to anything the front door opened with some stomping cleats bursting through it.

"Ah man." Lynn said as she strolled into the house.

"Hey Lynn." Lucy said, poping up from behind the couch half scaring her sister.

"Hey Luce." She said with a breath, a little winded from her day.

"Soccer practice?" Lucy asked.

"Football football." She said walking over to her "Read a good book today?"

With a hearty sigh Lucy said "Unfortunately no, the next book I want to read doesn't come out till next month."

"Aw I'm sorry Luce." Lynn said stretching her right arm "could always go out and get some sun while you're waiting."

"I prefer the shade of a nice dark room more." She said as Lynn shrugged.

"Whatever, you do you. Where's everybody at?"

"Upstairs, Lola's locked up in her room again." Lynn rolled her eyes as she started over to her.

"Oh boy what happened this time?" Lynn asked plopping herself on the couch.

"We were at the treehouse and…"

"What treehouse?" Lynn asked abruptly. Lucy hesitated a moment before she started again.

"One of Lola's friend has a new treehouse and we went to go play together." Lucy said.

Confused Lynn asked "You went outside?"

"Mom told me to, Lincoln too she didn't want him inside reading comics all day." Lucy lied.

"Oh, makes sense lazy boy has been in there a lot." Lynn said, Lucy letting out a small sigh in relief.

"Anyway, Lola's mad because we were playing tag and Lincoln was the leader of her team."

"I'm already smelling disaster from that."

"So he was trying to be sneaky about getting me and Lana but Lola didn't want to get dirty going through the bushes."

"Why did Lincoln even try to get her to be dirty?" Lynn asked.

"He wanted to win." Lucy answered.

"Well he knows Lola! I mean she flips if she even feels like she's going to sweat."

"I just thought he was overreacting." Lucy added.

"Yeah he is, I get it though you know. I always got that one teammate that isn't throwing everything they have into it. But I adjust, just worry about myself and hope the coach knows that where to put him. Right place for everything you know?"

"Yeah." Lucy said perking up "I see that."

Lincoln spun in his chair, not wanting to go home to face his sisters/operatives. But nothing good was on t.v, clyde was busy and so was Ronnie anne, and his older sisters were probably off doing their own things.

He hummed to himself, thinking on simpler times. Missing them too, missing being just the inventory operative of this sector. Better times when someone else was leader.

"Computer!" Lincoln spoke up, getting a beep in return. "Access mission reports sector v-gamma January 2012, I don't care what day."

"Please submit genetic material for access." The computer said. Lincoln lazily sticking his finger in his nose then then pressing it into the finger hole in the table. "Genetic material accepted, accessing records of date 1/11/2012." It told him, the monitor near his chair lighting up with static before going into focus.

On screen, showed the lookout but different. Newer, the wood seemed brighter and the windows all around looking clearer and less scratched. The biggest difference though was the chairs around the table. While Lincoln's was still there it wasn't in the same spot. The other 4 around were completely different from the ones now sitting there. One looked like it was seat ripped out of a baseball stadium with a number 41 on it. Another was bright yellow decorated with whoopee cushions, rubber noises, and mini pie tins at the ends of the arm rests. The one next to that was dark purple with silver and yellow lightning bolts scattered about it with a big speaker for the seat part of it. Then last was a plain but tall white club chair where Lincoln's now currently was. The room filled with chatter as people took the seats, his sisters. His older sister and him coming back from a mission. Lori took the white club chair tossing a big full woolen sack on the ground with a smile on her face.

"Mission totally accomplished!" She said resting her hands behind her head as her sisters and brother sat down with sacks just as full as hers next to them.

"I can't believe we actually got with it!" Lynn said happily in her seat.

"You could say it's a… sweet victory!" Luan laughed out loud while digging through her bag.

"Don't eat all of that Luan." Lori chastised. "Most of that goes to high command."

"Ugh!" Luan and Lincoln both let out dissatisfied grunts.

"Hey, it's payment to keep this place up and going." Lori reminded them.

"Yeah well." Luna said, rummaging through her sack and pulling out a large purple diamond shaped hard candy. "They ain't getting their hands on this." Her siblings gawked at what Luna had out.

"That's puprleberry omega!" Lincoln exclaimed. Lori's jaw still hanging open as her other sisters gave Luna some applause.

"They had one of those!?" Lori asked shocked, Luna giving a cocky nod.

"Yup, took some digging but it's worth it for numbuh 5." She said, Lori's jaw closing at the mention of that name. The other's looking a little confused but still happy.

"You're going to that party?" Lori asked her, Luna picking up on her somber tone.

"Yeah I mean retirement party kind of have to." Luna said, her siblings now noticing how off Lori looked by the mention of this.

"Something the matter?" Lynn asked. Lori shook her head.

"No no it's just… nothing. Anyway! Mission I.C.E was a success, everybody hand over your bags to Lincoln to sort."

"Oh come on!" Lincoln whined, Lynn letting out a small laugh.

"Here you go little bro." she said chucking her bag over to him, he having quickly dodge it.

"Guys c'mon!"

"Sorry numbuh 24." Lori said, dropping her bag as she walked past him.

Lincoln watched this while shaking his head, he remembered how long it took him to sort through candy haul. 3 hours! 3 hours of work! Could've been worse, after Luan handed him her bag Luna stayed put.

"I'll give you a hand little dude." She said, picking up two of the bags.

"Thanks Luna." Lincoln said picking up the other two and then they were out of the camera's view. The screen read end transmission and Lincoln sighed before he got up to stretch. It's been forever since he was on a candy haul mission, that was really something that he only liked doing with his old team. God only knows what Lola would do to mess up a mission like that.

Hopefully things would balance out, if not then… well he just didn't know.


	6. Operation 6

Lincoln dropped into the bathtub, just now getting back from the treehouse as he pulled himself up, feeling a little beat. Fixing up his hair he left the bathroom to see one of his amber haired sisters in the hallway.

"Lincoln!" Lynn said with some glee.

"Oh sorry were you waiting?" Lincoln asked gesturing to the bathroom.

"No dude just hanging here, making sure princess doesn't break anything." She said looking at Lola and Lana's room.

"She's still mad?" Lincoln asked surprised as he started down the hall.

"Yeah she always holds grudges over the small things. Lucy told me everything." She explained. Lincoln's brain finally caught up to his body to realize what Lynn had said.

"Everything?" He asked hoping it really wasn't everything.

"Yup, seriously over a game of tag? That's petty even for her." Lynn said, Lincoln letting out a mental sigh in relief.

"Oh yeah, well I wouldn't say anything like that here. Never know you know?"

"Totally, man you look tired." Lynn noted.

"I feel a little beat yeah, I was just gonna go pop in bed with some comic books." Lincoln admitted. Lynn scoffed at the notion.

"You do that all the time come on!" She said taking hold of Lincoln's hand.

"Wait Lynn I really…!" he plead to deaf ears.

"Let's go on a little run we'll get the blood pumping you'll sleep better that way!" Lynn said happily as she dragged him down the stairs and out the front door. In a last ditch effort Lincoln tried to grab the door frame but his gripped slipped and out the door he was.

Lola was sitting angry on her bed, actually trying to fight off her anger so it didn't ruin her face with unnecessary lines. Their room was surprisingly in order, not even a plushie thrown because of what happened. Only the door had been slammed shut and Lola left to stew in her little tantrum. A knock took her by surprise.

"Who's there?" She said sounding grouchy.

"Just Lori." Her big sister meekly said. Hearing it was her, Lola got out of bed and walked to her door and unlocked it, letting Lori in. "Heard you weren't in a good mood." She said, Lola nodding in response before going back to her bed. Lori held a small frown as she closed the door behind her. "Boy trouble?" She asked jokingly. Lola shook her head in response. "Family trouble?" She asked this time receiving a nod. Lori then walked over and sat next to Lola on her bed. "Lincoln?"

"How'd you guess?" Lola asked.

"It's always a safe bet with him, what'd he do?"

"He was… he was just a big jerk today." She stumbled on her words, remembering a rule the knd gave her about talking to her older sisters, minus Leni, no mention of the knd.

With a sigh, Lori said "Yup that's boys, sometimes they're the biggest jerks you'll ever meet."

"Is Bobby ever a jerk?" Lola asked, Lori gave a small chuckle.

"Only when I want him to be." She said in a cheeky tone that threw Lola off.

"What?" she asked.

"Nothing nothing," Lori tried to wave it off. "Your make up looks good."

"Oh thanks." Lola said with a smile. She tried her best to use the stuff Lori had used on her the other day, guess she didn't do a half bad job. Just then Lori's buzzed from a text message and before she could blink Lori already had the phone in to view. "Bobby?" Lola asked, even though she was more than sure that was the answer.

"Duh! He's coming to get me for a day out."

"Can I come?" Lola asked out of the blue.

Lori was taken a back "Um… you know what yeah sure." She said, originally going to say no. Lola smiled, giving Lori a quick hug.

"Thank you thank you!" Lori laughed in her throat, patting Lola on the back before getting up to get ready.

Lana had taken for her usual spot, a nice big mud puddle that she could stomp around in. She swoshed around in it getting her overalls dirty, making mud pies, and making a general mess.

"I feel the need to point out the sanitary issues in this activity sister." Lisa abruptly said, making herself known. Lana only continued to play, even making mud angels.

"Blah blah, if I wanted to hear junk like that I would've stayed at home." Lana said with Hops surfacing next to her from the mud.

Rolling her eyes Lisa brought out her tablet, "If I may inquire, I still have tests regarding the prototype that needs your assistance."

"Lisa! I'm trying to relax." Lana whined making her little sister annoyed.

"So am I but I need your help." Lisa said.

"Why don't you go shoot Lola in to space?"

"I've tried…" Lisa admitted "Mom and Dad stopped me."

"Well… go try harder please." Lana said. Lisa, still annoyed, let out a sigh with a shake of the head and left. Leaving Lana and Hops alone with gentle breeze and the mud. For about two minutes…

"Hey!" Lana heard a kid yell snapping her out of her moment of zen. "I wanted to catch that!"

"Too bad it's mine now!" she heard another kid yell, now ticking her off as she pushed herself up.

"Well let me battle you!"

"Not for this one I wanted him!"

"Hey!" Lana yelled jumping up to her feat, the two boys on their phones looking over at her. "You mind taking your crud somewhere else I'm trying to relax!" Lana demanded. The two boys shrugged her off.

"Hey crazy you know you're in the mud right?" one of them fired back.

"So what?"

"Weirdo." The other boy said.

"Just ignore her." The first boy said, going back to his phone.

"Hey!" Lana yelled now stomping her way over to them. "Why don't you get off your phones and say that to my face!"

"Hey were just trying to play Zyuoh tamer." One of the boys said as Lana approached them.

"Well go play somewhere else this is my spot!"

"Like heck we are!" the first boy said "This spot has like 5 spawn points."

"What?" Lana asked confused.

"It means the monsters in the game pop up here." The other boy said, showing his phone to Lana who really didn't care what was on it.

"Whatever get out of here!" Lana threatened.

"Or what?" the boy called her bluff.

"I'll make you."

"Psh yeah right." The other boy said.

"I'll just call my mom on you."

"Like heck you will!" Lana spat.

"Like heck you'll make us leave!"

Lynn had wore Lincoln out three times over by the time they got to the park. Huffing, Lincoln broke down to his knees exhausted as Lynn let out a hearty chuckle.

"Ah man that was good!"

In a cough, Lincoln asked "Was there a point to that?"

"Yeah." Lynn said kneeling down to him "To cheer you up."

"Really?" Lincoln asked.

"Psh yup Linc, couldn't let you stay in a sour mood." She said standing back up. "And there's no way to do that than getting your heart racing."

"I think a comic would've been better." Lincoln said as he stood back up.

"Those things will melt your brain." Lynn said, because of course she was the expert on melted. She had one after all, Lincoln thought.

"Ow!" they suddenly heard a boy yell from the other side of the park. Looking in the distance they saw two boys running away, crying calling out mom as someone chased them. While they didn't know the boys, the one chasing them they did know from the overalls.

"Lana!" Lynn called out, she not hearing her. "C'mon!" she instructed Lincoln, breaking into another sprint.

"Ugh more running." Lincoln whined before running after her.

"Lana!" Lynn called out again as they got closer, this time she heard her.

"Lynn?"

"What the heck are you doing?" Lynn asked as they all stopped.

"Those jerks were ruining my mud puddle!" Lana answered.

"Why were they crying?" Lincoln asked.

"Well you see…"

"She's over this way!" they heard one of the boys yell in the distance.

"Who hurt my baby!?" they heard a rather deep voice for a mother yell. With wide eyes, Lincoln and Lynn looked back at Lana.

"You hurt them!?" Lincoln exclaimed.

"W-well they wouldn't leave!" Lana explained.

"Run!" Lynn told them, grabbing Lana's hand she broke into full sprint and Lincoln struggled to keep up with her again. Between the running, the drama with Lola, and now this gunk with Lana Lincoln could a hernia or something building up inside of him. Exaggerating maybe but all this drama was just getting ridiculous.


	7. operation 7

Just as Bobby pulled in to the Loud house the trio of troublemakers were running in, just passing up Lori and Lola as they stepped out.

"Any reason for that?" Lori asked mildly disinterested.

Lola shook her head "Don't know, don't care."

"Same, c'mon." Lori said before the two stepped out of the house and saw Bobby waving at them.

"Babe!"

"Boo Boo bear!" Lori exclaimed before running to the window and giving him a quick kiss. "Oh Boo Boo bear I hope you don't mind but Lola wanted to come along with us for the day."

"No that's fine, just another pretty girl to have around." He joked but Lola found it flattering.

"Why thank you, but what are we doing standing around? Let's go already!" She said jumping in the car with Lori hopping in as well then driving off for their day.

Inside the house Lana was catching her breath with Lincoln and Lynn looking down on her.

"Man you guys run too fast!" Lana said in a cough before looking up, Lincoln looked furious like he was nuclear.

"Okay Lans what the heck happened?" Lynn asked.

"Yeah Lans…what happened?" Lincoln said, trying his hardest to mask how mad he was.

"These kids were trying to steal my mud puddle!" Lana explained.

"What, whys that?" Lynn asked.

"Some stupid game they were playing I don't know! I had to take back my spot! But then they called their mom on me and then I was running off." Lana explained.

"Why would you beat em' up then?" Lynn asked.

"Well I don't want them coming back!"

"That doesn't mean you beat them up!" Lincoln snapped.

"Whoa Lincoln cool down." Lynn told him. Lincoln would've snapped at her too but she wouldn't understand. Lana tried to slip away in Lincoln's momentary distraction before Lincoln locked his gaze on her again scaring her stiff. "Look just don't beat up kids anymore 'kay little piglet?" Lynn asked Lana who nodded in response. Smiling she pulled on Lincoln's arm "Okay c'mon short fuse you look like you need another run.". As Lincoln was dragged back outside he kept a firm gaze on Lana up until the door closed, mouthing the phrase.

'This is not over!'

Perfume samples wafted in the air and mixed with the pungent hot smell of orange chicken and overly sweet cookies mixing so well with that brand new and unused smell. The mall was packed, adults and teens walking around with overly stuffed bags. Lola and Lori didn't have any yet but they were hoping to find something. Lola had already gawked over a nice big pink sunhat she saw in a window. But her big sister had to pull her away from it just because she didn't want to go into the kiddy store that was selling it. Any other day Lola would've thrown a fit over that but right now she didn't mind, Lori could do anything with her right now and she'd be cool with it.

"If we don't see anything else I want to get that hat." Lola proclaimed as they walked, Bobby at Lori's side holding her hand.

"Deal, but let's try and find something less pink." She said making Lola gasp.

"Less pink!? You've got to be joking!" Lola said exasperated.

"Who knows maybe one of your judges won't like pink." Lori suggested as they crossed into a more upscale dress store. The dominant color was white but a lot of the dresses had a secondary color that offset it. Lola was immediately gravitating to the ones that had pink as a compliment, but Lori gave a little nudge away from them to Lola's irritation. She didn't ease up on it either, for every blue dress Lori said would look cute on her Lola would find 5 pink ones that were absolutely made for her. Lori was getting progressively ticked by how Lola was acting but thankfully Bobby knew just what to say to keep her mello. Picking out a dress and telling her just how pretty she would look in it just made her all giddy inside. And when he sneaked in a quick kiss on the cheek and whispered how amazing it would be to see her in it at the homecoming dance just made her cheeks burn with blush.

"This one!" Lola proclaimed spinning in a frilly pink dress offset with white and bits of gold. "This is the one!" She said happily.

"And the other five weren't?" Lori asked, almost snarky.

"The other five didn't make me glow like this one!" She bragged making Lori roll her eyes. "Don't be jealous." She added.

"I'm not." She said frankly.

"Oh let her have her fun." Bobby said coming to her side with a necklace in hand making Lori smile "May I?"

"Why you may." Lori said brushing the back of her hair out of the way for him. Lola gagged seeing this.

"Barf, we're in public guys!" Lola said revolted but that didn't stop Bobby from sneaking a kiss as he clipped the necklace around her neck.

"Perfect." He said Lori letting out a small giggle. Lola again letting out her disgust.

"Ew! If you guys are going to be like that I'm leaving!" She said starting to walk away.

"Hey wait Lola!" Lori called out.

"Don't worry babe I got her." Bobby said going after her. Lola wasn't running away from them just distancing herself from the make-out couple. "Lola hold up!" Bobby called out.

"Bobby it's whatever go back to Lori." Lola said back, just then eyeing something from across the store.

"You can't go running off on your own come on." Bobby slightly whined, Lola still ignoring him and picking up the pace.

"Lola?" Bobby called out having now lost sight of her. Lola put on a satisfied grin as she walked through the store. She found herself in the jewelry section, which she could care less about. Unless it was a nice shiny tiara with a sash then she rarely accessorized. But a waft of something pretty got her attention. The makeup section, with all the free hair spray samples a debutante could want! She did a quick step over to the counter where the sales person looked down as she climbed up the stool.

"Can I help you?" The woman asked slightly confused, Lola seeing her name tag hidden under a bang of curly black hair.

"Why yes you can Rosa, I'd like to try some samples please!" Lola said in her cutesiest voice.

"Um honey does your mom know where you are?" She asked, trying to sound concerned.

"Oooohhh yeah she's over there." Lola said scanning the room and finding Lori. The lady gave a cursory glance at her, blonde hair was enough to convince her. With a hearty breath she pulled out a sample bottle.

"This isn't perfume you know kid." Rosa warned but Lola shewed her off.

"Please I know that, now if you don't mind." Lola said pompously presenting her hair. Rolling her eyes, Rosa started and ran through the sales pitch she had memorized to death. One sample became two then three then four then Rosa was concerned.

"Honey are you going to buy any of this?"

"Less talk more spray!" Lola proclaimed.

"Excuse me?" Rosa said offended.

"Just a little more on this end." Lola said nonchalantly, Rosa not being very patient with her. She waved over to someone and the next thing Lola knew someone was towering over wafting some fancy cologne. Looking up she saw a man in a well-tailored suit and stylized black hair with a gleam in his eyes.

"Problem?" He asked in the coolest voice Lola had ever heard.

"Running a little low on our sample Tyler." Rosa said gesturing at Lola who was frozen. On one hand she would've gotten mad at this lady for not ponying up with more of that hair spray but this guy.

"Bah…bah…bah…"

"Oh is that so?" He asked kneeling down to Lola "and why may I ask would a cutie like you need so much?" Lola was stunned, this guy was drop dead gorgeous. Bronze sun baked skin behind freely hanging yet controllable brown hair packed into six pac chest and biceps as big as her head.

"Bah…bah…bah…" she muttered again now lost in his vibrant green eyes.

"Kid ya alright?" Rosa asked. Luckily before Lola could embarrass herself a third time Bobby found her.

"Dude not cool!" Bobby chastised taking Tyler by surprise at his arrival. "Why'd you run off on me?"

"Bah…bah…bah…" Lola muttered again.

"Lola?" Bobby asked concerned. Tyler clearing his throat to get Bobby's attention.

"Excuse me sir is she with you?"

"Huh? Y-yeah sorry about that." He said turning to him. "Kind of snuck off on me you know?"

"Oh believe me I understand we get kids roaming around here all the time it's no big deal, especially if they're ones with a sense of fashion." He said flashing Lola a smile that made her melt with a goofy smile on her face.

"Um boss?" Rosa tried to interject.

"I got this handled Rosa, good sir have you found anything you liked here?"

"Excuse me?" Bobby asked, Tyler now rustling through his pocket.

"Cause if your buying anything for this little lady I'd love to give you a discount."

"Seriously?" Bobby asked shocked as Tyler pulled out a card.

"Of course, got to show your customers some hospitality you know? Pick out anything you like guys." He said before stepping off toward the counter leaving Bobby as awestruck as Lola.

It was surreal to see Lori go from mad to shocked in a fraction of second. That surrealism didn't stop at the checkout either, apparently when Tyler offered a discount he meant a significant one. Seventy percent off! Two hundred dollar dresses were now only the price of new video games. Bobby tried to pay more than the discount but Tyler wouldn't have it. Lori tried to take off the necklace Bobby had picked out but he stopped her, saying that he didn't pick it out from here and that he had been holding on to it for a while to give her. On second glance Lori did notice that the gold in the necklace was a bit dirty and aged making it just a little bit more special.

"I think he's a keeper honey." Tyler offhandly said. Lola rolled her eyes this was way too gushy for her. But a nice frilly pink dress kept her happy and quiet as they stepped out of the store and Lori couldn't help but be happy enough to laugh to herself.

"You know if bringing you along gets me a nice dress for cheap then I'm bringing you everywhere from now on Lola." Lori joked.

"Please leave me at home on dates."

"No promises." Bobby said as he leaned in on Lori and Lola prayed he was joking.

Lana was hiding in the treehouse or half hiding. She knew Lincoln would be in at any moment but honestly he couldn't really do much. Sure he might've been scary when he was mad, not as bad as Lola but still, but that was it he could only get mad.

"Lana." Lucy said spooking Lola off her chair.

"You know we got to put a bell on you."

"Just try." She said stepping over to her chair and bringing up the holo projector, scrolling through messages. Lana shifted in her seat uncomfortably, unaware if Lucy had heard about her little fight in the park but she wasn't paying much mind to her so maybe she hadn't. "Message." Lucy spoke pressing a button and the holo emitter showed a girl wearing a fancy looking helmet made out of a colander and some bowl pieces.

"Numbuh 24 you and your team are to report to the moon base. Bring all evidence and records of your finds with you. Numbuh 8 and I will meet you up there at o 800 tonight. Don't keep us waiting, sector v prime out." The girl said the holo emitter dissipating when it finished. Lana's mouth went wide with a smile.

"The moon base!? We're seriously going?" she asked. Lucy folded her hands and nodded.

"Get the m.e.t.e.o.r fueled up and ill let everyone else know."


	8. Operation 8

If Lincoln's plate was full before then by now it was overflowing. Not only did he have to deal with the twins and high command but now he had a smelly bundle sitting in his lap.

Laughing the whole way on their trip Lily hugged onto Lincoln in his chair. Their mom needed him to watch her while she ran some errands. Now he would've put up more of a fight to not taking her with him but that jog from Lynn really sapped out a lot of the energy he had. He was sitting in a daze while for the most part Lucy took charge on this trip.

"Maintain… speed… ugh…" Lincoln spurted out resting his tired face into his palm while Lily laughed at him.

"What?" Lana asked.

"Maintain current speed." Lucy instructed standing next to Lincoln as he tried to sit back up straight.

"Yeah do that…" Lincoln said giving Lucy a nod to say thanks.

"Do you need a water?" She asked.

"Wa-wa!" Lily proclaimed.

"I think she might." Lincoln half chuckled. A quick step away and back Lucy handed him a bottle. Lincoln took the first sip before helping Lily drink some, a lot of it just falling out of her mouth. "Ugh lily!" Lincoln snapped but Lily only giggled as she patted her hands on his now wet pants. With a groan Lincoln tried to set the water aside only to find something missing on his chair. "Lisa where's my cupholder for the bajillionth time?" Lincoln asked irritated.

"And for the google plex time there's no room for it with the new shield I installed." She retorted back.

Near livid at this point Lincoln grumbled lowly "Explain to me why my chair has anything to do with the shields?". Lisa just blew him off and returned to her post waiting for the moon base to call them. While Lana kept a steady pace, mostly trying to stay on Lincoln's good side. Lola was too busy playing with her dress to have a care about anything going on. Turning like a crazed ballerina she loved seeing the skirt frill like a pink wild flower with speckles of gold.

Groaning Lincoln outstretched his eye as he handed his water to Lucy. "Please?" She took it without question.

"Are you going to be okay?" She asked concerned.

Lily patted his lap again happily making him pick her up so she'd stop it. "I'm going to get through this, then when we get home I'm sleeping till November." He answered sternly.

"Can I bury you till then?" Lucy asked but Lincoln was quick to answer.

"No"

"I swear I'll remember to dig you up." She assured but Lincoln kept shaking his head.

"Seriously no. I'll get through this no sweat." Lincoln said sitting back in his chair. "Plus not a good move to not show up for numbuh 8."

"And numbuh 117." Lucy added.

"Yeah her t…wait what?" Lincoln asked shocked.

"Numbuh 117 is coming along too." Lucy reiterated.

Just like that Lincolns plate when from overflowing to overbearing "Ah great…"

"Please don't act like a dork Lincoln." Lucy stated, Lincoln giving her a quick glare.

"Shut up! I don't want to hear anything from you guys about her." Lincoln ordered.

"You're only encouraging them." Lisa flatly said.

"You shut up too!"

As if on que, just as they began to close in on the moon base the fated call came to greet them.

"Incoming message." Lisa announced. Lincoln then handed Lilly over to Lucy before straightening his shirt out, a minor wet spot still on his pants that he prayed no one would notice. The last thing he wanted was to give Numbuh 117 ammo for jokes.

"On screen."

A monitor then dropped down in front of Lincoln and Lucy, numbuh 8 giving a short wave with a smile.

"S'up guys were right on your tail."

"Almost had me worried you weren't going to show." Lincoln joked now seeing his ship start to pass them up.

"Oh I couldn't leave you up here with your tail between your legs. Meet us in deck 7 and we'll get this show rollin'."

With a nod Lincoln hung up and gestured to Lana. "Take us in numbuh 62!"

"Aye aye capn'!" Lana gleefully said.

"Everybody strap in." Lucy ordered before hurrying to her seat with Lily to buckle up as did Lincoln and Lisa. However everybody's favorite princess was too busy playing with her dress still to listen.

"Numbuh 63 strap yourself in!" Lincoln barked. Lola however waved him off and kept playing. "Lola!"

"You're crazy if you think I'm going to wrinkle this! Just have Lana land softer."

"We're in space pink for brains! I don't really have a lot of control over this!" Lana yelled.

"Well I'm not sitting so you better try!" Lola snapped back. Lana turned in her seat about to yell something else before Lincoln brought up his hand.

"You know what? Let miss high and mighty do what she likes. Just bring her in 62." He ordered. Lana tried brushing it off, it was Lola so whatever. To her credit she did land smoothly enough but a rough break sent Lola tripping onto her knees with a big thud.

"Ow! You did that on purpose!" Lola yelled picking herself.

"We told you to strap in so it's not my fault." Lana retorted jumping out of her seat, Lincoln could already feel the headache coming from this.

"I swear if this dress got even a little tear in it-!" before Lola could finish off her threat Lincoln got up shooting a cold glare at her that only barely phased Lola. "What?" she snapped at him.

"You'd better knock it off already Lola!" Lincoln yelled.

"Or else what?" Lola asked folding her arms. In the most serious and straight-faced tone he leaned down and told her.

"Or else I'm sending you back to the academy and signing you up for mandatory Grossology studies." If ever there was a world record in how fast a face could sink Lola had set it.

Lana had to choke down a laugh but couldn't stop the grin on her face.

"Best behavior. Both of you!" Lincoln reminded sternly.

"That go for us too Mom?" Lucy added. Lincoln rolled his eyes before giving the command to disembark.

Across the dock, numbuh 8's ship opened with him walking out along side a familiar face. Lincoln almost couldn't decide how he should feel when he saw her, play it cool or just not care or go with a slight grin. Inadvertently his face somehow managed to pull off all that at once with the result looking like a weird smile.

Numbuh 117 looked at him oddly on her approach "There a reason you're smiling like that?"

"Huh?" Lincoln asked not realizing how goofy his grin was. She rolled her eyes at him before crossing her arms.

"Please tell me you're not going to be a dork the whole time here." She said making Lisa and Lucy laugh, even Lana couldn't stop a chuckle. A giggling Lily grabbed Numbuh 8's attention.

"Your brought a baby?"

"Their sister poin-dexter." Numbuh 117 pointed out before closing in and bopping Lily's nose making her laugh even more and grab her finger. "How you doin' you little rugrat?"

"Nana!"

"Aw." She said pulling her finger back.

"Hope you don't mind Ronnie anne but mom's orders." Lucy explained.

"No worries numbuh 52, got to start them young ya know?" She joked before clearing her throat. "Okay kids next door follow me." She said taking the lead with everyone following suit. Lincoln up front with Ronnie anne and numbuh 8, going over any other information Lincoln may have left out in his report while Lucy kept Lily entertained. The twins looked in awe of the moon base. This was only their 3rd time being here and it still looked just as high techy and cool as they remembered.

"Hm you didn't miss anything." Ronnie anne said.

"Give me some credit I know this is serious." Lincoln retorted with a yawn he couldn't force back.

With a coy look Ronnie joked "Oh sure sleepy head and there wasn't a reason numbuh 10 always kept you on candy detail?"

"Yeah and numbuh 91 kept you on trash duty." Lincoln quickly retorted.

With nothing more than a brush off Ronnie Anne told him "Still did more than you candy man."

Before Lincoln could come up with something else Numbuh 8 chimed in.

"Hey! C'mon guys play nice."

"Dude don't ruin the fun." Ronnie anne said.

"I'm just saying, last thing we need is you two going at it right now." Numbuh 8 pointed out.

Rolling her eyes she gave Lincoln a little jab "we're just playing, right Lincoln?."

Cursing in his head Lincoln couldn't stop the red on his cheeks "y-yeah."

The walk was short and in no time they were by the edge of high command. A stark difference from the rest of the moon base in that everything on the other side of the arch that lead there was chrome as opposed to the wood that decorated the rest of the base. A shining welcome to all operatives!

Or it should've been, getting close a large door dropped closing off high command.

"What the-!?" Ronnie anne exclaimed.

"High level Kids next door only! Lower operatives back away!" a robotic voice echoed.

"Huh?" Numbuh 8 muttered.

"When did they get this?" Lincoln asked.

"I don't know." Ronnie anne said.

"It's not going to let us in?" Lana asked.

"Hold on, I give permission for them to enter Numbuh 117." She said. A moment later a computer module appeared out of the ground. Approaching it Ronnie anne submitted her genetic material. Before the screen then flashed red.

"Insufficent rank! High level knd only." The computer reiterated shocking the party.

"Excuse me!?" Ronnie anne flared before the module left them and the door remained closed. She growled in frustration while everyone looked on confused.

"What the heck's going on?" Numbuh 8 asked.

"This is weirding me out…" Lincoln said.

"What gives?" Lana asked.

"Senior agents only." Ronnie Anne reiterated annoyed. Lola not caring too much but Lana got ticked. "So stupid…" Ronnie Anne muttered under her breath. "Okay! Kids next door seniors with me, Numbuhs 62 and 63 sorry to say you'll have to dip out on this one."

"No fair!" Lana yelled.

"Whatever." Lola unfortunately chimed in, Lincoln giving her a dirty look in response.

"Sorry guys stupid rules are stupid rules. Numbuh 52 you should probably give them Lily." Ronnie Anne explained, figuring that if it wasn't going to let in newer kind operatives there was no chance they'd let a baby in. Without question she did hand her to Lana and Lincoln couldn't help but feel a tinged worried about leaving her with the twins. Soon after they left for whatever they could find on the base.

"There now let us in!" Ronnie Anne yelled at the door.

On que the doors opened "accepted." The computer announced. Lincoln, Lucy, and the others then continued on to high command which was scarcely populated. Only seeing maybe three kids on their way to a side room with a couple of chairs to decorate it.

"Classy, not even a table or a t.v. Bet you can't even get wifi in here." Numbuh 8 whined.

"That would be correct yes." Lisa confirmed from her phone. Ronnie Anne groaned as Lincoln took a straight b-line for one of chairs.

"Oh man." He groaned.

"Don't fall asleep on me." Ronnie Anne told him as he rested his chin into his hands.

"I won't I won't." He weakly protested making Ronnie Anne roll her eyes.

"Don't worry I'll keep him awake." Lucy assured taking her place next to him.

"Did he stay up all night playing videogames again?" Ronnie asked annoyed as she took a seat.

"Naw he would've texted me if he was raiding, never goes without his white mage." Numbuh 8 added.

"You guys are such dorks." Ronnie Anne said with a breath.

"Couldn't agree more their time is better spent in other areas of interest." Lisa added.

With a scoff Numbuh 8 replied. "Well we're all not mega geniuses that can make robots."

"That reminds me I should check on my mall droid." Lisa added before a loud snore rang through the room.

"Oh my gosh!" Ronnie Anne let out annoyed.

"Believe it or not Lily's worse." Lucy said before reaching over and pinching Lincoln's nose shut. A few moments later he violently shook gasping for air.

"Ngh!" he let out a irritated grunt.

"Stay awake!" Ronnie Anne ordered.

"Ugh…" Lincoln groaned leaning into his hand. "I just want a break."

"Why are you so tired?" Ronnie anne asked.

"Long story, when's 555 gonna be here?" he asked numbuh 8 taking out his phone to check the time.

"3 minutes."

"That gives us ample time to discuss this situation." Lisa said pulling out the holo emitter they got from Flip's.

The twins walked about the moon base mildly ticked off. The main common area was booming with operatives running around and laughing, though they weren't going to change these grumpy girls moods any time soon. Minus Lily who was just looking at everything like it was the greatest thing in the world.

"Why did he even bring us if we couldn't come along?" Lana whined.

"Probably some stupid reason like it's a formulaity." Lola guessed.

"Formulaity?"

"I don't know I've heard Lisa use that word."

"Well it's dumb!" Lana let out in a huff whilst Lola noticed that everyone they were passing couldn't help but look in their direction. Like the pageant queen she was meant to be Lola started to stride her way down the commons. Which to Lana just looked like she was walking funny. "Uh do you need to pee or something?"

"No." Lola said half disgusted as she kept moving like she was on a extended runway. Lana just store at her like the crazy queen she thought she was while Lily just clapped, Lola had put on so many mock pageants that Lily on instinct always clapped for her. No surprise that when Lana slipped away Lola took no notice of it as she continued to model her dress making quite the crowd come together.

"Holy moly do you know how pretty you look?" A girl said amazed.

"Oh what I do? Thank you sooooo much!" Lola said ozzing happiness as more and more girls crowded around her asking everything from what make up she was using to where she got that dress.

"For the love of Pete where the heck is he!?" Ronnie Anne snapped while everyone was slumped over bored, say for Lincoln who was back to sawing logs. They had been waiting well over 30 minutes, there was late and there was this!

"This is ridiculous!" Lisa blurted out waking Lincoln up.

"Huh we what?" He sputtered out.

"Here here I can't take this anymore!" Numbuh 8 announced, while Lincoln still was dazed.

"What are you guys getting riled up about?"

"What do you think snorzilla?" Ronnie Anne shot back. "Kids next door no more waiting, let's go find that lazy sack of candy!"

"I'm with ya!" Numbuh 8 said jumping out of his seat Lincoln jumping up to.

"Me too." Lincoln said, Ronnie Anne scoffing with a smile as Lucy and Lisa joined in.

"Alright kids next door let's go!" And with that they hurried out of that dinky room for their rude host.

You'd almost think the girls around here never saw a dress the way they were swarming around Lola. How one sparkly towel could make them go so gaga Lana would never know but her time here was better off because of it. The less of the frissy girly girl Lola type she had to see the better and even better was everything fun on the moon base had open lines! Video games, zero g tree climbing, and to top it off a special pit that was filled with nothing but moon mud! It was supposed to be used for special training in less than stellar conditions but like Lana cared it was moon mud! The cherry on top was that Lily was even having fun splashing through that mud pit with her.

Now gleefully with Lily on her shoulders they walked through the common area again. A croak from hops caught both their ears.

"Yucky!" Lily said happily as he crawled out of Lana's hat.

"Aw getting hungry?" She asked her little buddy. A smack of her lips and a rumble in her tummy told her what was next on this little adventure, food. Wasn't that hard to find, the moon base's commons were wall to wall stock piles of anything a operative had a taste for. Picking at random she found herself in a bright makeshift bar with only a few other operatives occupying the space. Climbing up to a nice spiny chair at the counter a big kid came by, giving Lana a once over glance before handing her a menu that Lily tried to grab from her.

"Rough day in training?" He asked.

"Nope! Fun day in the mud pits mister." Lana gleefully said getting a ribbit out of hops as she opened the menu dripping some mud onto the ground. The barkeep looked at her oddly and half peeved at the mud she tracked in but she seemed happy and what more was a bar than a place to make people just that.

"Fun isn't a word I hear about that place you know." He said, Lana now setting down her menu.

"Well now you do. So, can we get some nachos?" Lana asked rather politely.

"Nachis!" Lily proclaimed. The bartender couldn't help but crack a grin.

"Sure thing kid, what sector am I billing this to?"

"V-Gamma." Lana responded. The grin on his face washed away from those words, replaced with a agape mouth.

"V-Gamma?" he repeated.

Lana nodded "Uh yeah V-Gamma. Can I get my nachos please?" Stunned the barkeep slid back into a soft smile.

"Yeah sure right away." He said sounding happy as he walked off to the back and left Lana to look at the pictures that decorated the place.

Lola was the absolute center of attention, she hadn't even noticed just how much of a crowd she had pulled in but was eating up the attention like it was popcorn.

"Seriously I just got to know! Where did you get that pretty dress?" One of her admirers gushed.

"Why at a nice little dress shop in the royal woods mall, ask for Tyler." She said happily as she took another big turn with her dress with an accompanying gasp topping off.

"Oh my gosh!" Another girl exclaimed.

"I know I know I'm just perfect." Lola gloated not noticing how the space seemed to go quiet as she walked to a wide window overlooking earth. It's true, she thought, half of the planet really was pitch black when you looked at it from space. You'd think that a good photographer would be able to get his subject in full view but if earth really did look like this from out here you could see why every science book had it half in the shadow. A snicker broke the quiet now striking Lola as odd. Even weirder was when that one snicker turned into two then three. A full cackle was starting brew to her confusion. "What?" Lola said turning around, suddenly the laughter stopped. "No really what is it?" She asked again. Nothing again from her admirers. Trying to shrug it off Lola turned to the window again and once more the laughter started up. Quickly she turned again and once more the crowd shut up. "Okay seriously what is up?"

"Nothing." Someone spoke up.

"Just enjoying the view." A boy now said. Rolling her eyes Lola started to walk off from the weirdos but when she turned the laughter started up again now ticking her off. "Alright! What the flip is so funny?" She demanded, this time the crowd was still in a uproar.

"You know you can get a better view in the rear!" Another boy badly joked. Now Lola was just confused and mad. On the verge of screaming at them Lola felt something off, a breeze a long cold breeze hitting her back. Slowly she nudged her head to look behind and the shade of red that went across her cheeks only made them laugh harder than when they saw her "other" cheeks out in the open through a rip in her dress.

Lola shrieked and rushed for whatever exit she could find, all while the kids either laughed or sang about her nice shiny hennie.

Lana heard the laughing going on just outside the bar. But before her curiosity peaked the tastiest plate of nachos she had ever smelled fell right in front of her and Lily! Hops mouth dropped at the sight of the mound of chips and cheese all served with a smile from the barkeep.

"Order up miss loud."

"Oh my gosh!" She shrieked before hops jumped in head first before Lana started gorging away with Lily pulling whatever chips she could from her head.

"On the house btw, family discount." He said making Lana stop mid crunch.

"Wah?" She gurgled grossing out the barkeep.

"Swallow girl please." He asked and with a big gulp she did.

"What's with the discount, I don't know you?"

"Yeah but I knew your sister." He answered then gestured to one of the many pictures on the wall. It was Lori, like a super young little Lori standing on top of a big wooden barrel.

"What what what!?" Lana asked now a little excited.

"Yup I knew number 10 way back when I was an active operative and boy she loved coming here."

"Wait here here?" With a nod he responded, pulling out a big glass mug.

"Heck yeah the old owner always got his best stock of root beer from the missions she went on. Man let me tell you the stuff she got was beyond good." He said pushing a button under his counter that produced a secret tap. "And guess who saved a keg?"

"No flipping way… can I try it!?" Lana begged.

"Oh no I was just showing my fancy tap for nothing." He joked as he poured only maybe a quarter of a glass for her.

"Hey what's the deal!?"

"I can't waste it, it's the only barrel left." He said handing it to her. "Give it a swig why don't ya?" On the surface it didn't look any different than any other root beer except maybe a little less bubbly. Lana even gave it a smell before she took up the glass, perfectly sweet but again nothing unlike the stuff she could get at home. But when it finally hit her lips she swore she felt everything from the top of her head to the bottom of her butt flex because the shockwave of just how good that was made her shake. Sweet like super sweet but with that bold taste she recognized as root beer but with a mint just coasting by with it and topping of with the faintest hit of cherry.

The barkeep chuckled seeing Lana's pupils go as big as dinner plates.

"I tell ya I never get sick of seeing that face when people try that." He said. Lana was left speechless, that was without any doubt the best thing she had ever had.

"Lori got this stuff all the time!?" she exclaimed.

"That's right! They were dangerous missions too, the one time she let me join I almost fell off the roof with one of those barrels strapped to my back."

"Holy moly." Lana gasped as he went on.

"Crazy part is she did it alone most of the time."

"No way you're kidding! Not even Luna or Luan went with her?"

"Well you don't see their pictures on the wall now do ya?"

"Woah…" Lana let out taking another look at the picture. "Just w-woah…"

"Operation F.I.Z.Z.B.U.S.T.E.R, that's where I got that picture from. Look it up some time it was insane." He said as Lana finished off the last of her root beer and Hops popped out of her nachos covered with cheese.

"I'm gonna have to now." she said. Lana never looked up any of her big sisters missions, mostly because that felt like homework and like she wanted more of that. But if Lori really did something crazy awesome then that was worth looking into.

"Believe me I really don't it justice but it is that awesome." He said. Just then they heard laughter coming from out in the common area.

"Someone crack a joke or something?" Lana asked.

"God I hope not we don't need another numbuh 31 cracking bad puns around here."

"Try living with her its way worse." Lana added before returning to her nachos with Lily, the barkeep filling up her glass again but with a different vintage.

Through the vacant halls of high command Ronnie and the others ran through them.

"Why is this place so empty?" Ronnie Anne asked.

"Yeah it's way too quiet." Lucy added.

"Where's all the big wigs barking out missions?" Lincoln asked.

"Strange doesn't even cover this." Numbah 8 said and very well knew. During his brother's last year as a operative he spent a lot of time up here and remembered getting pushed around and shouted at by the higher operatives. So seeing it like this was a bit surreal to him. Turning a corner they finally found something that broke up the emptiness. Two guards in front of a very large and shiny door.

"Think he's there?" Ronnie anne asked Numbah 8.

"That is where the high commander's chair is or supposed to be anyway."

"Good!" Ronnie anne not waiting a second more hurried to the doors with her team sticking close by. Pressing toward the doors the guards of course took a stand in their way.

"There something you need?" one of them asked.

"Yeah you out of my way. I need to talk to numbuh 555." Ronnie anne said.

"Not allowed, not here."

"What?" Ronnie anne asked not noticing one of the of the guards press his hand to his pocket.

"He's not here." The guard made abruptly clear.

"Well where the heck is he?" Ronnie anne snapped.

"The high commander is suppose to be on the moon base all the time." Numbuh 8 stated.

"He doesn't believe in that rule now if you don't have a reason to be here leave." Instructed one of the guards. Lisa however found something queer in this.

"If he is indeed not here as you say then why are you guarding this door?" Lisa asked

"Yeah why are you two here?" Lincoln chimed in. The two hesitated a moment before one of them sputtered our.

"Y-you know what we don't even need to answer your questions!" the other guard said. While his matching twin took the same attitude and returned to their stalwart positions.

"Oh quit it already! Just let us in you pair of chimps.!" Ronnie anne spat out but this time the guards didn't humor them, only standing there and exchanging a brief glance at each other. "Hey I'm talking to you!" Ronnie anne snapped again.

"Alright back off!" a squeaky girl voice yelled. Her steps echoing as she walked, a chill went down everyone's spine when they saw who it was. Even Ronnie anne faltered when she saw her. Black hair in a pony tail with a purple dress that went to her knees with black leggings and a stern gaze on them. Numbah 8 looked annoyed when he saw her.

"Oh please no." He muttered when she came into full view.

"Ah Joey, how're you doing?" She asked stopping in front of them as Numbuh 8 turned to face her, Ronnie anne taking a step back to let him upfront.

"Hello Mushi…" Numbuh 8 said clearly not happy to see her.

"Why are you causing so much trouble?" she said threateningly sweet.

"Were looking for numbuh 555, we had a meeting."

"Well I'm sorry he's not here. You may have to reschedule." She said with a smile. Ronnie anne almost spoke up again but numbuh 8 held her back. Swallowing back something he wanted to yell he tried to force a smile.

"Please Mushi, we have very important information that we need to talk about. Can we just talk to you instead?"

"Ohhhh I'm so sorry! Full schedule you know? Plenty of decommissions coming up and I need to make sure we got those operatives taken care of, you know?" she said eyeing the members of v-gamma actually spooking Lisa.

Unshaken Numbuh 8 let out a defeated sigh "Okay I can understand that. Please have a good day it was really good seeing you." He said in the most forced happy voice he could muster.

With a smile Mushi nodded "Thank you, and if you could please leave the moon base that'd be great. Don't want any trouble you know?"

"Oh to heck with…!" Ronnie anne snapped before Numbuh 8 pushed her back again.

"That's fine! Kids next door let's get out of here." He commanded. Ronnie anne of course wanted to yell no. They couldn't just leave without telling them what they knew. But Joey knew they had to get out of there and almost dragged Ronnie anne out of high command with everyone else sticking close by. All the while Mushi just looked at them with a mix of distain and happiness.


End file.
